BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and that means fun with family and friends to enjoy all that Kern County has to offer \u2014 including the Kern River.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of drivers pass two signs on Highway 178 every single day. Six people drowned in the Kern River last year, bringing the total number of deaths to 348 since the 1968.<\/p>\n
Watch \u2018After Sunrise\u2019 on KGET+; Click to learn how to get KGET+ on your smart TV devices <\/a><\/p>\n The Kern County Sheriff\u2019s Office is spreading a stern warning about jumping in.<\/p>\n While the sight and sounds of the waves crashing in the river appear as if they\u2019re inviting you to jump in on a hot day, it\u2019s best you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing in the river is not a good idea, it\u2019s flowing very fast right now,\u201d said Sgt. Rodney Jones, who updated the number of drownings on the sign Friday morning.<\/p>\n Even if on the surface the water does not look like it\u2019s moving, lurking under the ripples, \u201cIt\u2019s flowing very fast and can suck you under and any undertow. Therefore you could be caught on a limb, there\u2019s branches, there\u2019s trees, there\u2019s undergrowth in that river,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n Brian Baskin works in the Upper Kern area where the current is especially intense.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest challenges we face is that some of our outcomes don\u2019t end in the way we like them and does result in someone drowning,\u201d Baskin said. \u201cWhile that\u2019s disappointing, it\u2019s fulfilling to bring a loved one home that\u2019s been lost in the river.\u201d<\/p>\n But the sheriff\u2019s office knows people will go in, so if you do, don\u2019t drink alcohol and wear a life vest. The tide can shift quickly, and having a life vest on could mean life or death.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we see out there is kids wearing adult life jackets, or adults wearing kids\u2019 life jackets and it\u2019s not properly put on,\u201d said Gary Ananian, who founded the Kern River Conservancy 13 years ago<\/p>\n Ananian said he\u2019s seen horrible cases of drownings in the Kern River.<\/p>\n